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The world of the book

by Des Cowley, Clare Williamson

This illustrated history examines the development of books, covering religious texts, travel literature, typography, and cover design. It explores influential works ranging from historical tomes to modern comics.

Accession 9780522857191 ISBN 9780522857191 Publisher Miegunyah Press

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on_shelf: True
position_updated_at: 2026-05-05 17:12
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binding_type: Hard Back
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spine_text: THE WORLD OF THE BOOK DES COWLEY AND CLARE WILLIAMSON

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The world of the book

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Topics and Themes

1. **History of the Book & Book Arts**
The book traces the evolution of books from the Middle Ages to the present day, celebrating rare and iconic volumes across centuries. It draws on the rare collections of the State Library of Victoria to chart this long tradition.

Connect to books about: history of printing, manuscript culture, incunabula, book arts, bibliography.

2. **Books as Objects: Material Culture & Book Collecting**
The book revels in the physical beauty of books as objects to be desired and treasured, examining them not just as texts but as artefacts with aesthetic and cultural value. Rare, illustrated, and finely made books are treated as collectibles with their own rich material history.

Connect to books about: book collecting, rare books, material culture, object history, bibliomania.

3. **Knowledge, Ideas & the Power of the Book**
From the earliest myths and legends to postmodern fictions, the book frames books as mirrors of real worlds, windows into imagined worlds, and keepers of powerful ideas. It explores how books have shaped and reflected human thought across history.

Connect to books about: intellectual history, history of ideas, philosophy of knowledge, the Enlightenment, cultural history.

4. **Publishing History & Printing Innovation**
The book charts publishing innovations of the past and present, spanning the development of the printed word from early technologies to modern formats. It situates key turning points in print history within their broader cultural moments.

Connect to books about: history of printing, Gutenberg, the printing press, typography, publishing industry history.

5. **Imagination, Literature & Narrative**
Sections of the book address the relationship between books and the imagination, tracing how literature — from ancient myths to graphic novels and postmodern fiction — has expressed and expanded human creativity.

Connect to books about: literary history, narrative theory, world literature, mythology, fiction and imagination.

6. **Exploration, Geography & Knowledge of the World**
The book includes material on books that drove exploration and the mapping of the world, reflecting how printed works carried and spread geographical and scientific knowledge across cultures and continents.

Connect to books about: history of cartography, exploration narratives, scientific publishing, natural history illustration.

7. **Art, Illustration & the Visual Book**
A dedicated section examines the relationship between artists and the book, encompassing illustrated manuscripts, artist's books, and the visual traditions embedded in book-making across centuries.

Connect to books about: illuminated manuscripts, artist's books, illustration history, fine press printing, visual culture.

8. **Libraries, Cultural Memory & Preservation**
Rooted in the collections of the State Library of Victoria, the book engages with how libraries serve as custodians of cultural memory, preserving rare and significant works for future generations.

Connect to books about: library history, archiving, cultural heritage, preservation, the role of libraries in society.

The world of the book

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Topics and Themes